HUDL founder Barbara Radnofsky honored at Annual Awards Luncheon
- HUDL Editor
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
April 2, 2026—Friends and supporters of the Houston Urban Debate League gathered in downtown Houston to celebrate the 2025-26 debate season and recognize an instrumental figure in the history of urban debate in the nation's fourth largest city.
In 2007, Barbara Radnofsky and Ron Bankston contributed an op-ed to the Houston Chronicle advocating that Houston join the small vanguard of debate leagues restoring the tradition of policy debate in the nation's inner cities. Within a year, those two former University of Houston debaters and like-minded supporters formed the Houston Urban Debate League and launched its first competitive season. Almost two decades later, HUDL is one of twenty UDLs around the country, and has graduated thousands of Houston debaters. In recognition of her contribution, HUDL honored Radnofsky with the Dr. Thomas F. Freeman Award, the organization's top honor for those who have advanced the cause of educating young debaters in the Bayou City.
Attendees at the HUDL Annual Awards Luncheon also met three compelling young students, each of whom shared debate experiences. Spring Woods High School student Emma Gonzales spoke about how debate taught her to present her ideas with confidence and clarity, and reflected on the thrill of attending the national championship tournament with HUDL's help. Bellaire High School senior and two-time HUDL city champion Samantha Tran credited her debate experience for her admission to multiple Ivy League colleges and discussed her ambition to serve her country in government. Spring Early College Academy alum Mohammed Hemeida, now a Columbia University graduate and aspiring law student, described how he and his former squad-mates volunteer with HUDL so that others can share the same door-opening and enriching experience they treasured.
HUDL thanks their partners at the Houston Independent School District (including UIL Specialists John Rassenfoss and Veronica Carroll) and the Harris County Department of Education (including CASE for Kids Assistant Director Trina Finley and Senior Director Dr. Lisa Caruthers) for joining them on this special occasion, and thanks the many contributors and supporters who made the day possible.
HUDL thanks the following luncheon sponsors for their generous contributions
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